We were picked up early and then picked up a new set of Dutch friends. Interesting side more, the Dutch colonized Indonesia and then gave it back, but there is still a large Dutch influence in these areas and also Dutch tourists or retired folk. So we drove to the marina and we boarded out long covered boat. Met our new guides and left for Rinca as the first stop. It took a few hours and we had great weather.

We landed and walked to the ranger station, paid all the fees (5$ to use a camera) and started our journey. On this hard hot jungle trek we only saw a few komodos from far, it was high noon and they prefer to hide in the shade. Returning to the main camp we saw many lying around under the buildings, very calm and motionless. Rinca is a well behaved Komodo location, as opposed to Komodo island. But the previous week a Ranger was bitten by a Komodo when it smelled his food and climbed up the stairs to the office, this ranger screamed and another came to his rescue and was also bitten

. They were both to spend the next month in the hospital recovering from the very poisonous infectious bit. They captured and brought this komodo to Komodo island where they would have more room to roam and avoid people. So much for safe island.

We returned to the boat and set sail once again. We landed at a small island and had a chance to snorkel around it and see beautiful reef and stunning fish. It was sunny so we could see very clearly in the deep reef. The coral was bright, alive and healthy, the fish were numerous and active.

After a couple of hours we sailed to our port for the night, to see the flying foxes (giant bats). Over the course of a few hours they flew over our boat to Komodo island. We also got to see a see snake and sea turtle which got caught in our fishing lines (which later broke free safe and sound). We slept under the stares on the deck but It was a rough night, between the snoring and the cold and the rain.